Persona: Blood Moon
by WrestleCrazyGamer
Summary: At night, the moon shines red with a silhouette. Megumi Nanase, a first year at Gekkoukan, has to aid the original SEES members in finding and rescuing students from their Shadows. Megumi makes many allies, and discovers a plot to awaken an enemy SEES doesn't remember encountering. They soon find the Blood Moon isn't limited to just Tatsumi Port Island either... *On hiatus*
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 01: The Beginning?

Tatsumi Port Island is no stranger to Megumi Nanase. She'd been there numerous times because of her father's work. Only now, she was in high school and would be attending Gekkoukan High since her father passed away. Luckily her mother was willing to welcome her with open arms, despite ten years apart after the divorce. Tragic backstory… until you discover that she spent three of those years in a rehabilitation facility for the murder of her father. It took a lot of legal paperwork and legal agreements on her mother's part for her to even attend school let alone get parole from the facility. Mitsuru Kirijo herself even evaluated Megumi before allowing it.

On the train into town, a young man with long black hair wearing a suit was standing by her. She could tell he was staring at her, and gave him a cold glance. He grinned despite her gaze.

"Sorry if I'm bothering you. I couldn't help noticing your uniform. Gekkoukan… that's a pretty nice school… hard to believe a murderer got in." he chuckled.

"What transpired between my father and I is none of your concern." Megumi scolded him.

"Sure it is… after all… no one on this train can see or hear us right now." he chuckled.

"Now why do I think that's a load of shit?" Megumi asked.

"Same way I now have your ribbon letting down that beautiful brown hair." he replied presenting a ribbon to her making her feel her now let-down hair.

"What do you want…?" Megumi demanded to know while putting her hair back into a ponytail.

"All I want… is a friend…" he replied.

"A friend? You're joking…" Megumi scoffed.

"No, no. I am in desperate need of a friend… someone who understands what it's like when no one understands why you did what you did." the man chuckled.

"So what'd you do…?" Megumi asked.

"I left my best friend to become a seal on the moon. He could have killed me… I begged him to… but he didn't." he sighed.

"Why don't I believe you…?" Megumi growled.

"Don't believe, or do… I have no control of what you do. Just keep my story in mind when things start to happen in this town once again." the man laughed as they went through a tunnel and when the train exited he was gone.

"Who was that creep…?" Megumi asked herself.

The train arrived at the station and she got off. Waiting for her was a skinny woman with brown hair longer than Megumi's wearing sandals, blue jeans, and a red blouse. Megumi approached her with a smile and the two hugged tightly.

"It's so good to see you, honey." the woman spoke.

"It's good to see you too, mom." Megumi smiled.

Megumi enjoyed the walk home thoroughly. After learning the truth behind their divorce, and everything else that was in the closet, she was happy to see her again. Her mother now lived in a nice three-room house, which works out for her work as owner of Kojiro Flowers as she can dedicate a single room to growing fertilizer and seed storage. Megumi's room would be two doors down from her mother's room. She didn't mind, and liked having a room she wouldn't be restricted from leaving again. The room had a bed big enough to fit two, and a dresser more than large enough to house her clothes.

The evening was spent playing games with her mother and more or less just catching up. Megumi froze up when her dad came up, so her mother didn't bother bringing it up more than the one time. Her mother was trying everything to help her cope without actually saying so, and she really appreciated it. When morning came, it was time for her tour of the campus. Her guide would be Aigis, Mitsuru's close bodyguard.

Megumi felt the other students staring at her in shock as she walked behind Aigis. The story had already spread like wildfire, "murderer to attend Gekkoukan". Even so, she didn't let it deter her from enjoying the tour. At the end of it they were approached by Akihiko Kirijo, Mitsuru's husband. He seemed to have a concerned look on his face.

"She cause any trouble?" he asked Aigis.

"No. She was very well behaved. In fact, I believe there is more to her crime than meets the eye. I sensed no hostility in her at all." Aigis replied with a smile.

"You think so? Well… I might try to put some faith in her then. She never did release her side of the story." Akihiko sighed relieved.

That night, something odd happened. While Megumi read the latest installment in her favorite online book, the light of the moon suddenly became red. Confused by it, she opened her window and looked up to see the moon with a red skull on it as if it were wearing a mask. She heard howling and immediately closed her window dropping the blinds. She went to bed immediately and hoped it was just a bad dream.

In class the next day when she was introduced to her classmates she had possibly the most silent ovation ever. She sat down in the front row and noticed the seat next to her was empty, despite a bag being on the hook. The tag read "Miku Hoshida". If she happened across her in the day she'd try to introduce herself.

When lunch rolled around, she'd noticed that she hadn't shown up. So she decided to try and show she's a normal student by showing concern for a fellow student. She asked the teacher if the student was sick.

"Huh? Oh, Hoshida? She's got a weak immune system, so she sometimes gets really sick. She made the effort to try and come to school today, but just minutes before the bell she had a coughing fit and had to go to the nurse's office. I bet she asked the nurse for some antibiotics before lying down. Could you do me a favor and go see how she's doing?" the teacher asked.

With mission in hand, she made her way to the first floor. She told the nurse who sent her, and was shown right to Miku's bed. She had shoulder-length bobbed pink hair and pale skin. She seemed to be doing okay, but now and then she groaned a bit.

"Poor girl overexerted herself by coming today. Her effort was commendable, but she knows how easy it is for her to get sick." the nurse sighed.

At that moment… Megumi felt groping in the back of her mind… and two voices began to speak… both fighting intensely…

[SHAKE HER AWAKE]

[LET HER BE]

Not long after her head began to ache. It was as if her brain would tear itself apart if she didn't make a decision. Someone's hand touched her silencing the voices. Miku had woken up and was confused.

"Um… did Mr. Irahara send you? How long was I asleep?" Miku asked.

"It's lunch break…" Megumi replied.

"I was out longer than I intended. Guess I was really tired." Miku giggled sitting up.

"I'm Megumi… Megumi Nanase." she introduced herself.

"Oh, you're the new student. It's nice to meet you. I guess you saw my bag in the classroom, huh?" Miku chuckled.

"I'm told you have a weak immune system." Megumi mentioned.

"Yeah. I've been like this since I was seven." Miku smiled.

Megumi walked Miku back to class having a normal conversation. To her surprise, she didn't bring up her past once. No questions over why she did it, no how, nothing. She didn't feel like she was being interrogated for once. In fact, after classes they exchanged contact information. Megumi was relieved to have at least made one friend. Everyone else seemed far too afraid to approach her.

That night Megumi was eager to get some sleep. She didn't even check if a new chapter to her favorite online novel was up. She drifted off fast, having pleasant dreams. During the night though… she suddenly found herself in a velvet chair, inside of a velvet room. Behind the desk was a young woman with long white hair wearing a velvet outfit, and behind her was a massive statue of a woman holding a scale. The woman was grinning and had yellow eyes.

"Welcome, to the Velvet Room." she greeted Megumi.

"What…?" Megumi asked blinking twice.

"Do not be alarmed… you are fast asleep in the real world. We don't get many guests here nowadays… so this must mean you have quite a burden to carry." she chuckled resting her chin on the backs of her hands.

"What burden?" Megumi asked.

"You had a close encounter with Death… one not many can say they've shared. So now the wheels have halted on your future…" she chuckled.

"What does that mean? Who are you anyway?" Megumi demanded to know.

"Ah, where are my manners? My name is Pinocchio. I am the master of this place. My assistant is out at the moment, so you will have to meet him another time. For now, we must part." Pinocchio introduced herself, and then everything went black.

Megumi sprang awake in bed when her alarm began going off. She decided to brush it off as a fever dream and got ready for school. She got a text from Miku while brushing her teeth telling her that she was too sick to go to school that day. She texted back that she'd let the teacher know and copy down notes for her. The day was a bit sluggish with her friend being sick, but she still found a way to bear it. Megumi then saw some girls kicking another girl who was just trying to pick up her notes. The sight enraged her and without thinking she slugged the jaw of one of the bullying girls knocking her out flat.

"T-The hell's your problem?!" the other bully cried stepping back shaking as the voices returned to Megumi's head.

[FOLLOW THROUGH]

[THREATEN HER]

Megumi panicked and raised her fist threateningly making the bully flee screaming in terror. With a sigh of relief she helped the girl gather her notes and stand. Her glasses were cracked, but they could still be used thankfully.

"T-Thank you…" the girl sighed.

"Why were they kicking you?" Megumi asked.

"They're just sour at me for getting them booted off the girl's swim team. As manager, I have to report students with failing grades to the instructor. If the students fail to improve their grades, they get the boot regardless of how good they are. It says it right in the form you sign when you agree to join the team." she explained.

"Oh, so they're complaining because they can't follow a contract." Megumi laughed.

"My thoughts exactly… although my mom isn't going to be happy that she has to replace another pair of glasses…" she sighed.

At that same moment the other bully returned with a teacher. Luckily, the teacher quickly saw why Megumi laid out the other girl and gave both bullies detention and a warning about violence to solve violence to Megumi. After that ordeal a girl with long blue hair rushed to Megumi taking her hands.

"Please join my club!" she begged.

"Uh… who are you…?" Megumi asked confused.

"Oh, right, right, introductions… ahem, I am Yoshino Mura, second year. I saw you deck that snooty ex-swimmer, and it was amaaaaaaaaaaaaay-zing. Please join my club!" she pleaded after introducing herself.

"What club would that be?" Megumi asked.

"The 'Girls Who Love Wrestling' Club. Currently it's just me and a few friends, but we've been looking for new members." Yoshino replied.

"Wrestling, huh…? What does the club do?" Megumi asked.

"We watch wrestling flicks, shows, anime, and all pitch in to go see live events in the local area every few months. Oh! We also sometimes get permission from the boxing team to use their ring to wrestle." Yoshino explained.

"Aren't those moves dangerous?" Megumi asked.

"They sure are, but that's why we all pitched in to get trained by professionals back in middle school! So trust me, we know what we're doing!" Yoshino smiled confidently.

"I'll think about it…" Megumi nervously told her.

"She didn't say no!" she exclaimed sprinting down the hall where four other girls were watching the entire time.

On Megumi's way home she stopped by Miku's house, which was surprisingly only a few blocks from her house, and dropped off the notes with her father. She panicked a little when her father bowed thanking her for being friends with Miku despite her condition. When she got home she got a thank you text from Miku, with an added PS whining that she wanted to say hi but was too sick to even leave bed. Megumi was slowly beginning to go back to being a normal girl, despite her rash actions earlier.

When night rolled around, the moonlight turned red again. Megumi was hesitant to look, but somehow found the courage to look out at the moon. Instead of a skull, it was a red silhouette of a girl. She thought she must have really been tired and went right to bed. She woke up in the Velvet Room once again… where Pinocchio was grinning wide at her.

"Welcome, to the Velvet Room. You made a virtuous decision today, defending that girl while deciding to refrain from being excessively violent." Pinocchio greeted her as the scale began tipping a small bit.

"What is this burden you mentioned?" Megumi asked.

"A burden can have many meanings. A wounded heart, an injury, or maybe a workload. It is all a matter of prospective." Pinocchio giggled.

"That isn't an answer." Megumi growled standing up.

"Now, now… there's no need to be so hasty. Your burden will become clear in the coming nights." Pinocchio assured her raising a hand gesturing for her to retake her seat.

When she did, she heard a jangle. She looked at her feet and found both of her feet were chained to the chair. She then looked back at Pinocchio with fear in her eyes.

"Worry not… these chains are merely here to keep you from drifting off in this dreamscape. You will soon awake in the real world…" Pinocchio giggled, and soon Megumi's vision began going black again… and she woke up.

At school it was discovered that a girl was found missing in her room causing a missing person alarm to be in effect. While it didn't effect classes, it certainly made those who were close to the third-year student worried. When Megumi saw a picture of the missing girl, she immediately flashed back to the moon's silhouette. It looked exactly like this girl. To her surprise, Akihiko was at the school that day asking the girls' apparent friends questions. Akihiko noticed her staring and approached her.

"Do you see the moon at night?" Akihiko asked.

"Uh… d-doesn't everybody…?" Megumi asked shakily… as if she knew exactly what he was referring to but didn't want to think about it.

"Hmm… come by the ramen shop at Iwatodai after your classes. I want to talk in private." Akihiko ordered before leaving the campus.

Nervously, after classes she made her way to Iwatodai's ramen shop. Akihiko had apparently been waiting, because a staff member led her to where he was sitting. Nine bowls of ramen were stacked to his left with his chopsticks set neatly on top of them.

"I want you to tell me exactly what you see on the moon on certain nights." Akihiko ordered.

"The other night… I saw a skull… last night I saw a silhouette…" Megumi confessed nervously.

"So you see them too. Why you though? You break the pattern…" Akihiko sighed.

"Pattern?" she asked.

"Of people that can see the moon when it does that. The ongoing trend has been that the people who can see the moon were once critically injured, died from it, but were resuscitated by medical professionals during a full moon. In other words, those who've met Death but returned to the world of the living." Akihiko explained.

"So… you've been like that…?" Megumi asked nervously.

"I've been injured pretty bad before, but never to the point I've had to be resuscitated. It's a little difficult to explain, but some friends of mine including myself can see the moon when it does that. We also observes that everyone who doesn't experience it simply turns invisible to those who do. They don't even exist in the same space anymore either, because I tried touching someone where they were a second before vanishing and my hand went through. They go about their nights blissfully unaware of what's happening." Akihiko sighed.

"I haven't technically died before is what you're saying." Megumi reasoned.

"Yeah, which is what brings me to my new theory… it isn't just those who've died and been resuscitated, but those who've committed murder as well. Manslaughter in particular, because otherwise everyone would see it because everyone kills bugs and the like." Akihiko told her.

"Do you… hear two voices fighting in your head sometimes?" Megumi asked.

"Two voices? Yeah, you fit the pattern in that regard." Akihiko reasoned.

"What?" Megumi asked confused.

"Everyone that can see the Blood Moon, as we call it, except for those of us who could already experience something we called the Dark Hour occasionally experience a very agitating battle of voices in their head. If you don't make a choice between the two the pain can escalate to a migraine, according to another student we found that can see the Blood Moon." Akihiko explained.

"Dark Hour?" Megumi asked.

"Long story. The next time you see the Blood Moon, I want you to come to the Iwatodai Dormitory. Aigis will be waiting to let you in there." Akihiko ordered before paying his bill and leaving.

Megumi was wary as time passed while working on homework. What did the Blood Moon mean? Was it the past haunting those who could see it? The more she thought about it, the more tired she got. She wound up falling asleep… and saw herself in the Velvet Room for a third time. This time Pinocchio had a slender young man with black hair wearing a crimson police uniform standing beside her.

"Welcome, to the Velvet Room. Do not be alarmed, you are fast asleep in the real world." Pinocchio greeted her once again.

"Now what?" Megumi asked.

"The night of your awakening is upon you… will you have the will to do what is right? Or will you choose to snuff out a light out of fear and confusion?" Pinocchio taunted.

"The hell does that mean?!" Megumi asked, and Pinocchio's cop friend snapped his fingers making her chair slide up to Pinocchio's desk when a contract was facing her.

"This contract will be of great service to you in the coming year… but if you sign it, you will be held to its terms and conditions." Pinocchio warned as Megumi read over the contract.

"It'll make the voices stop?" Megumi asked looking up from it.

"It will only make them pose their decisions one time, and only repeat if you desire them to. You will also have the option of carving your own path, if you have the will for it." Pinocchio answered grinning.

"Do you have a pen…?" Megumi asked.

"Silly… we sign contracts in blood here." Pinocchio giggled handing her a sharp feather quill.

Megumi took the quill and looked at her finger for a second. She took a deep breath and jabbed it into her finger coating the tip in blood. She then quickly wrote her name on the line so she could attend to her wounded finger. Her assistant them rolled up the contract and walked to Megumi's side of the table. Out of nowhere he handcuffed her and lifts her over his shoulder carrying her off.

"W-What's he doing?!" Megumi asked.

"Do not be alarmed. You can't afford to pass this night by, honored guest. So he is waking you up by force." Pinocchio explained laughing, and then Megumi sprung awake with the Blood Moon shining down on her.

She hurried to get dressed in blue jeans and a red T-shirt, put her shoes on, and hurried out. The silhouette on the moon was the same girl, but it seemed distorted somehow… as if something was happening. She made her way to the Iwatodai Dormitory on an awkward train ride where the trains seemed to be operated by ghosts. Once there, just as Akihiko had said, Aigis was waiting without any fancy clothes on and had her gun hands at the ready.

"We've been expecting you, Nanase-chan." Aigis greeted her before letting her inside.

Inside were Akihiko, Mitsuru, and a male student with short black hair and glasses she'd never seen before. She walked to them and sat in the open chair. She felt the intense gaze of the boy, as if analyzing every inch of her.

"We're all gathered. Good. Akihiko, explain the mission." Mitsuru spoke.

"Suzu Kagaya of the second year has been swallowed by her Shadow. Our goal is to rescue her from it and then dispatch the Shadow. Sounds simple right?" Akihiko told them.

"Shadow…?" Megumi asked confused.

"It'd take too long to explain right now. All you need to know is that they're monsters that only appear during the Blood Moon's presence." Mitsuru replied to her.

"Her Shadow was last spotted in the shadiest part of town. Try not to flip your shit when you see it… I still remember the time I saw my first Shadow and it wasn't pretty and boy was it rough." Akihiko pep talked them.

"With that in mind, we don't have support tonight so watch your backs." Mitsuru warned.

"We're actually going out looking for that thing?" the male student asked.

"Yes. Kururugi-kun, you'll be coming with me. Nanase-chan is going with Akihiko. That way you each have a veteran combatant with you." Aigis smiled.

"Before we go out, you'll be wanting these." Akihiko spoke handing both an Evoker, a one-handed sword to the male student, and a spear to Megumi.

The two groups then went out into the Blood Moon night. Akihiko had Megumi search the nearby mall with him, as they couldn't rule out the possibility of it prowling the same place each night. Aigis and the male student were covering the other half of town. At 10:38pm they met up in a playground to report their findings.

"I didn't sense anything there." Aigis spoke.

"We didn't find hide or tail of it on our end either. If Fuuka were here we'd have found it by now…" Akihiko sighed.

"It is apparent how reliant we became on Fuuka now that we have to look for our target the old fashioned way." Aigis giggled.

"I've been meaning to bring this up since we left the street with the love hotels… but have you ever gotten that feeling when the hunter becomes the hunted…?" the male student asked.

"Now that you say it…" Akihiko nervously replied looking around, and then noticed something on higher ground.

Holding onto the side of a building was a massive black feature. It had white bone-like pierces on the outside of its horridly elongated limbs and torso. Its face was a mask of the Emperor Arcana. Its long silver mane was flowing in the wind as it leapt through the air to the playground crushing the jungle gym under its palm alone.

"Shadow Detected! Engaging!" Aigis cried charging it opening fire as it moves fast attacking her and Akihiko as he charged in.

Megumi and the male student had frozen in fear of it. This was a Shadow? It was the stuff of nightmares. How were they supposed to defeat it? What were those supernatural beings they were summoning forth to aid them in battle? Megumi couldn't move, and neither could the male student. Then they heard sounds behind them and small Shadows bearing the Fool Arcana were rising from the ground.

"Damn it, Mitsuru we need backup!" Akihiko shouted into a walkie-talkie causing him to get knocked through a tree by the main Shadow.

Megumi stared at the Shadows quaking with fear. She could scarcely breathe. She hadn't felt terror like this since her father… her father… and her trail of thought faded into hysteria. She slowly began reaching for her Evoker.

"I Am Thou… Thou Art I… The Sins on Your Back are Your Strength… Let Us Fight as One, and Cleave The Path to Redemption…" a voice echoed in her head as she aimed the Evoker to her head.

"Per… SONA!" Megumi exclaimed breathing heavily firing the Evoker.

From a bright blue light a woman in a skin-tight white bodysuit that becomes loose on the forearms appeared. She also wore knee-length golden boots with thick heels that had the legs of the bodysuit tucked inside them, had on black gloves, and on her face was a metal mask letting out extremely long silver hair as red light shined out of the eye slit. She wielded a demonic spear and an angelic shield. The male student fell over in shock and the Shadows stopped to gawk at her.

"Izanami…" Megumi growled, and at insane speed her Persona began to gruesomely rip into the lesser Shadows drawing the interest of the main Shadow.

The main Shadow charged her and Izanami stabbed its chest knocking it back. Megumi began to laugh as Izanami continued to beat on it with her spear. The Shadow looked obviously wounded as Megumi grinned sadistically at it.

"Izanami… Garu!" Megumi commanded, and Izanami thrust her spear with wind spiraling on it.

Once her spear hit its chest the blast of wind made the Shadow turn completely black. It faded away dropping two of the missing girl to the ground. One had an unearthly red aura around her, the other looked deathly pale and seemed to have lost an unhealthy amount of weight. Aigis retrieved her as her healthier version stood growling showing her yellow eyes.

"G-Give her back…" she demanded.

"Just like we thought… it's similar to the Inaba Incident. Only these Shadows seem to take longer to kill the person they came from." Akihiko groaned standing up holding his arm.

"If she doesn't accept it as her it'll go berserk again from what Teddy-san said." Aigis stated stepping back from the Shadow.

At that moment, two voices began to speak in Megumi's head once again. Just like the contract stated, they only spoke once.

[GET RID OF IT]

[ALLOW HER TO SPEAK TO IT]

Megumi thought of the consequences to both. If she got rid of it, what ramifications would that impose? If she let them speak, would it round back to square one? She couldn't decide which one was bad or which one was good, but she had to decide and fast as the Shadow's patience began to wane. Megumi decided… to get rid of it!

"Izanami… Mudo!" Megumi commanded, and Izanami snapped her fingers making the dark seal appear around the Shadow startling it.

When the attack hit, the Shadow let out an agonized high-pitched scream as she blew up into black and red particles. The Blood Moon then suddenly ended letting the moon shine normally. Izanami and the other Personas vanished… and Megumi passed out. In her dreams, she found herself not in the Velvet Room… but sitting on a chair in a room where the floor was like a mirror. Sitting across from her was her Persona… Izanami.

"So you are who I am bound to…" Izanami sighed.

"You… are you my… Persona?" Megumi asked.

"Yes. We're very alike, you and I. We both did terrible things, believing whole-heartedly that what we did was the right thing to do. Granted, what I tried to do was on a far larger scale than killing your father. We both seek redemption for what we did. For that exact reason is why we have been paired, or at least I theorize that is why." Izanami replied.

"What did you do?" Megumi asked.

"I tried to make everyone the same pitiful mindless creature, so that man would no longer have reason to fight among themselves like animals for trivial things such as land or resources." Izanami replied bluntly.

"That's 1,000 times worse than me…" Megumi thought to herself.

"So I look forward to working with you… me." Izanami chuckled as everything went white.

Megumi woke up in a hospital bed, to her shock. In the bed next to her was the missing girl, being treated for extreme exhaustion. Aigis was sitting by her with a smile on her face.

"Glad you're awake." Aigis spoke.

"What happened?" Megumi asked.

"The mission was a success thanks to you. Your Persona was magnificent. We weren't expecting either of you to awaken, but it was certainly a pleasant surprise." Aigis replied.

"So… is she okay?" Megumi asked.

"Yes. Quite so. Other than exhaustion and weight loss, she's perfectly fine. Her Shadow must have tried to starve her to death at an accelerated rate. Her body began eating her fat to keep itself alive, resulting in the weight she lost. With a healthy diet and plenty of rest, she should recover a healthy figure nicely." Aigis smiled.

Megumi was discharged from the hospital that same day. Luckily, Mitsuru had already covered her mother's worries with the excuse that she had forgotten to turn in an assignment and went to deliver it early. Megumi went straight to school knowing she'd be scolded for failing to be in uniform in order to keep her alibi rock solid. Her teachers didn't give her too much crap for it after coming up with a good enough lie, much to her relief. Miku was in school that day to keep her morale up as well. Megumi knew one thing though… this meant that on nights of the Blood Moon, someone from school would go missing… and she'd have to defeat their Shadow with Akihiko and Aigis's help.

End Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Arrow of the Moon

It was morning at Gekkoukan. To Megumi's surprise, Miku walked to school and greeted her at the gate. She asked if Miku was okay, and she said she felt healthier than she had in a long while. So they were able to spend the entire time before class chatting and comparing notes on the homework. At that moment… Megumi felt a voice in the back of her head.

"I am Thou… Thou art I… Thou hast forged a bond of the Hanged Man Arcana. Thou shalt be blessed when forming Personas of the Hanged Man Arcana." the voice spoke.

[SOCIAL LINK: HANGED MAN]

MEMBERS: MIKU HOSHIDA

RANK: 1

DESCRIPTION: Miku Hoshida is Megumi's classmate. She gets sick easily and occasionally misses several days at a time due to it. She really enjoys her friendship with Megumi and stays in touch via text when she has to miss school.

Megumi felt that she'd started to become closer with Miku. She knew there was a chance that she might have a coughing fit or get sick walking to school, as she was usually driven by her father. She did it anyway to spend time with Megumi. The day went by fast enjoying her classes with Miku.

When lunch came around, Yoshino sprinted up to them sliding to a stop. She had that signature huge grin on her face. Once again she pleaded for Megumi to join her club. Megumi told her she was still thinking about it, and luckily she accepted the excuse to procrastinate on an answer and zoomed off again to ask other potential recruits. Miku giggled and teased Megumi stating she could see her wearing a fancy outfit like the wrestlers on TV.

A few days later the missing girl returned to school, to everyone's delight seeing her alive. Mitsuru made sure the entirety of who saved her remained anonymous, so Megumi could only enjoy her work from afar. The days seemed nice. One night though, Megumi awoke in the Velvet Room once more.

"Welcome, to the Velvet Room. I'm glad to see you awakened successfully." Pinocchio greeted her.

"Okay, what are you going to lecture me on now?" Megumi sighed.

"First, I neglected to formally introduce my assistant. This is Adam. He is both in charge of the Persona Compendium and other tasks that may be necessary to ensure you always have a pleasant experience here in the Velvet Room. He was absent during your first visit due to someone trying to intrude." Pinocchio introduced him.

"Sorry our first encounter ended with me manhandling you." Adam sighed unenthusiastically while tipping his hat.

"From today onward, if any Personas emerge from the sea of your soul, he will record it inside of the compendium." Pinocchio told her.

"Sea of my soul?" Megumi asked, and Pinocchio presented the Death Arcana tarot card to her.

"Everyone bears a card in their soul, and from it power can be obtained. The Persona is the mask we wear to hide our guilt, and the Shadow is the representation of that guilt." Pinocchio smiled.

"Mask…? So my Arcana or whatever… is Death?" Megumi asked.

"Indeed. The number thirteen card… showing how far you've traveled in life, and the loss you went through at your own hands." Pinocchio replied.

"So… what does that mean?" Megumi asked.

"There are many ways to interpret the card. I may mean that doom is coming your way… but it may also mean that you are about to go through a metamorphosis or begin regeneration. More cards may appear from the sea over time… life is ever changing. More and more will continue their own metamorphoses as well." Pinocchio replied with a soft sigh.

"So this means the Blood Moon is still going to appear…" Megumi sighed.

"Indeed. Fear not, for we shall assist you until the end of your journey." Pinocchio assured her, and her vision went black again… and woke her up.

The following few days she spent with Miku, when she was at school. She then took notice of the room the Girls Who Love Wrestling Club were using. It wasn't in the actual school building, but its meetings were instead held in the small outer building used for detention. Out of curiosity, Megumi decided to pay the club room a visit to find only Yoshino inside.

"Oh. Nanase-chan. Guess you caught me at a pretty awkward moment." Yoshino chuckled rubbing the back of her head.

"Awkward? Did something happen?" Megumi asked.

"Ah, just an argument between my senior members. They got into it over who was the best male wrestler of all time… for the eighteenth time this month. They asked me to pick sides, and I sorta choked freezing in place… so they're off cooling down." Yoshino nervously explained.

"You aren't the club president?" Megumi asked.

"Oh, I am… since our senior-senior member graduated last spring. I've been trying my best to bring in new recruits, but I just don't have the same charisma…" she sighed.

Megumi began to understand why she was so fervent trying to get new members to join. She just didn't know how to go about it properly. The club room was likely changed because of the reduced members as well.

"Well. I'll just have to keep trying." Yoshino spoke stretching.

"Is it okay if maybe I sit in on your next meeting? Just to get a feel for the club?" Megumi asked and Yoshino's eyes lit up.

"You would?!" she asked taking Megumi's hands.

"Sure. I don't have a real opinion on wrestling, so maybe watching some will help me decide…" Megumi chuckled nervously.

"Whoo! We meet every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday after classes, right here in the club room." Yoshino told her.

That night, the Blood Moon reared its ugly head once again. The silhouette was a skull once again, but then it began changing shape. It started to resemble lines connecting to others, then started looking human. It didn't make any sense at all. It stopped when it was once again a skull. Megumi went to bed after that, and the next morning Aigis was waiting at the school gate for her.

"You saw the Blood Moon, yes?" Aigis asked.

"Yeah. Was it trying to tell us its next victim?" Megumi replied.

"For now we can only keep an eye out. We have no true way of knowing when someone is capable of perceiving the Blood Moon. So we'll be patrolling whenever it appears." Aigis told her.

The next day, it was time for Megumi to sit in on the club. When she arrived at the club room only Yoshino was there again, but she seemed a little upset this time. She had her head on her arms sitting at a desk. In fact, the room looked like a total mess.

"What happened here?" Megumi asked walking up to her.

"My senior members got into a brawl so teachers had to separate them… both quit the club as they were being pulled away." Yoshino replied with a sniffle.

"That's terrible…" Megumi spoke sitting down by her.

"That also makes me the sole survivor of the club… some president I am… we used to be fifteen strong just two months ago… it all fell apart when senpai graduated. Nobody wanted to come anymore." Yoshino sighed.

"That's awful." Megumi stated.

"I now have two weeks to recruit at least two members, because there needs to be at least three members to be considered a club." Yoshino told her.

"Well. I'll go ahead and join then." Megumi told her.

"You'll really join?" Yoshino asked.

"Yeah. Where's the harm?" Megumi replied rubbing Yoshino's back comfortingly.

"T-Thank you…" Yoshino smiled through her tears.

Megumi watched several wrestling videos and movies with Yoshino that evening. She even borrowed a book detailing moves and how to safely perform them from her. That same night, the Blood Moon appeared in the sky once more. This time, it was a silhouette of a square. It confused her, until it turned into a line with two figures on it. It couldn't be…? There was only one way to be sure, since their phones can't connect to a phone outside of the changed space… and that was to shoot her a text. If she responded, that'd confirm it. If she didn't by the time 2am, when the Blood Moon supposedly goes away, then it was someone else. While she waited, she couldn't help it… and drifted off.

She woke up in the morning to discover that her phone died during the night. She'd have to check it after school while it charges at home. She was greeted at the front gate by Miku, who was looking remarkably healthy today. During lunch Megumi happened to spot Yoshino, who looked a little pale. Megumi suggested sitting by her that lunch period.

"You okay?" Megumi asked her.

"Yeah. I'm just a little under the weather. It's probably just my allergies flaring up… or a slight cold. I might have to see the nurse to be sure which." Yoshino smiled sheepishly.

"Is it true you're looking for new members?" Miku asked.

"Y-Yes. Megumi joined my club the other day. I'm currently welcoming all new members, assuming they meet the female rule that we set when it was made." Yoshino replied.

"Hmm… okay, then I'd like to join too, please." Miku smiled.

"You will? Oh, thank you Hoshida-chan… bless your sickness-prone heart. The club's saved…" Yoshino sighed with a smile.

"Well, I want to try getting into different things. I know I have little sick spots now and then, but I'll try to make it as often as possible." Miku told her with a smile.

That afternoon when Megumi got home, it was the moment of truth. Phone fully charged, she opened it. There was a text from Yoshino at 3:45am, which gave her a feeling of relief… until she scrolled down to see that she'd replied to her text at 1:33am… in the Blood Moon Timeframe. Her heart began pounding, and she quickly got her shoes back on and ran as fast as she could to Kirijo HQ. She was fortunate enough to accidentally crash into Aigis at the doors.

"Nanase-chan. How pleasant to collide with you." Aigis greeted her.

"A joke…?" Megumi asked.

"Was it not humorous? Hmm… maybe Junpei is right and I need lessons on comedy… or perhaps my delivery wasn't good enough?" Aigis pondered.

"That isn't important right now. I think I might know who the Blood Moon is targeting next." Megumi told her showing the text reply.

Aigis immediately took her up to Mitsuru's office. She quickly phoned for Akihiko to get there ASAP. Sure enough he was just in the bathroom down the hall. They sat her down and were ready to listen.

"The second time the Blood Moon appeared and changed shape, I saw it take the visage of a ring with two people in it. To me at least, that alludes to wrestling or some other ring sport." Megumi told them.

"So how does that point to anyone?" Akihiko asked.

"My friend, Yoshino Mura, is obsessed with wrestling. I haven't met another student who talks about it all the time let alone attaches pins of wrestlers to her bag and uniform coat. I texted her during the Blood Moon. You said that you couldn't get ahold of anyone who didn't experience the Blood Moon on your phone, by either text or call. She texted back at 1:33am." Megumi explained.

"That's cause for alarm, all right. Aigis, tonight I'm sure it'll be like with the previous girl and the third night is when she vanishes. I need you to go to her residence and find out exactly how it happens." Mitsuru ordered.

"Understood." Aigis responded with a salute.

"As for you, be on standby. We'll text you when we have confirmation on her Shadow." Akihiko told Megumi.

"We don't even have each other's contact information." Megumi pointed out, and it went silent for a solid five minutes.

"You didn't exchange our contact information?" Mitsuru asked.

"It slipped my mind, okay?" Akihiko nervously chuckled.

"Well, we can do it now." Megumi suggested.

After exchanging contact information, the long wait began. Megumi was nervous the entire evening. Then, 9pm came around… and the Blood Moon period began. This time the moon had a silhouette of a girl on it. Megumi didn't recognize it per say, but it still very vaguely resembled Yoshino. Then her phone began ringing with a call from Akihiko.

"Hello?" Megumi answered it.

"Get over to Iwatodai Station NOW! It's an emergency!" Akihiko ordered almost making her drop her phone.

She hurried over, and to her shock it was replaced by a massive stadium with very demonic statues at its entrance. Aigis was outside with a badly damaged arm. Mitsuru was repairing it while Akihiko leaned on a fence. Only now Fuuka Yamagishi was with them. Megumi approached them with spear in hand.

"This is her, the new Persona User." Akihiko introduced Megumi.

"Greetings. I'm Fuuka Yamagishi." she smiled.

"Megumi Nanase, first year." Megumi smiled back shaking her hand.

"Fuuka's going to be our guide while we're in there. So we'll have a lot more guidance than the last time we went after a Shadow of this variety." Akihiko explained.

"So why is this place here?" Megumi asked.

"The Shadow ambushed Aigis and took the girl forcing her to tail it here where it made the stadium." Mitsuru replied.

"I don't see the other student who was here last time… so does that mean it's me, Mr. Kirijo-san, and Aigis-san?" Megumi asked.

"Aigis isn't able to fight in this condition, so she has to sit out on this mission. Be careful in there, the newly designated 'Target Shadow' is capable of full camouflage from both heat and sight readings." Mitsuru warned.

"You aren't going with them?" Aigis asked.

"I'm going to stay and repair you in case they need backup. That's if they can even reach the Target Shadow tonight, of course." Mitsuru replied continuing to work on her arm.

"You and me, kid. Let's go see what horrors await us." Akihiko smiled, and inside the two went.

The inside appeared to be a labyrinth of some kind. The walls and floors were stained with blood and wrestling memorabilia with gibberish writing on them littered the halls. It was very obvious that it was themed area. Akihiko stopped for a minute to examine the area.

"Hmm… it's similar to the Inaba Incident… person goes missing, labyrinth themed around their inner darkness arises." Akihiko commented.

"So this all means something more than just an unhealthy obsession?" Megumi asked.

"Possibly. Otherwise she wouldn't have been targeted. The last victim didn't have a structure like this though, her shadow ran wild on the city, so I can't exactly tie a connection to it. We'll have to find her Shadow and find out." Akihiko replied.

The two then began making their way through the labyrinth encountering lesser Shadows that were sporty in appearance. Akihiko was impressed at how Megumi handled herself in battle, despite having almost no experience. Of course, as a rookie, Zio knocked her on her rear.

"Careful, Nanase-chan! Shadows have weaknesses, but so do you. Know what your Persona is weak to so you can avoid being downed." Fuuka told her.

"Now they tell me…" Megumi groaned standing back up as Akihiko finished off the Shadow.

"You okay?" Akihiko asked.

"It stings a little, but it's nothing major…" Megumi chuckled.

"Hang on. Caesar, Diarahan." Akihiko spoke summoning his Persona to heal her injury.

"Thanks." Megumi sighed with a smile, and on they went.

They reached the third floor and walked unsuspecting onto a white square making it jut up revealing it as a ring with corners and ropes springing up. From the exit door a little girl with blood red aura walked forward.

"A little girl?" Akihiko questioned as the girl pulled out a microphone.

"Ladies and Gentleman, boys and girls, tonight's first event is a handicap 2-on-1 match! No DQ! Of course… so you can't run away like little pansies… this'll be an Enclosed Cage Match at the same time!" the little girl spoke, and down came a full cage around the arena.

"I don't like this…" Megumi spoke looking around as it descended.

"In the _lame_ corner, two stupid intruders!" the girl spoke, and boos came out of nowhere startling them.

"In the AWESOME corner, a fan favorite… SHREDDER!" she spoke making a tall anthropomorphic dog Shadow wearing raggedy jeans with long silver claws on its hands and a mask bearing the Strength Arcana on its forehead appear as applause and cheers raged out.

"Now I want a bloody fight, a gory fight, a fight with only one winner!" the little girl shouted as a bell rang.

The fight began with Megumi evading constant Zio blasts from it as Akihiko evaded its blade swipes. It leapt around outrunning them so they could hardly hit it. Megumi called Izanami to attack, but her Persona ended up protect her from a dropkick instead. Akihiko summoned Caesar causing a power struggle between the Persona and Shadow.

"He's open… sneak up on him and use Garu." Megumi told Izanami.

She snuck up and stabbed her wind-imbued spear right into Shredder's spine causing it to let out a loud yelp as it leapt up landing on its back. It lay there dazed allowing Akihiko to catch his breath a bit.

"So it's weakness is wind… well then…" Akihiko grinned taking out an item, and when he threw it a burst of wind slammed into Shredder making him dizzy.

Megumi and Akihiko both got the same idea. They ordered their Personas to leap off the top turnbuckles to elbow drop Shredder. The second they landed Shredder exploded into black and red particles causing the cage to rise.

"Awe, he really was a fan favorite… oh well. Heheh, there's plenty more…" the girl's voice taunted from elsewhere in the labyrinth.

"That took more out of me than I'd have liked…" Akihiko sighed as the ring sunk back into the floor with the corners remaining out.

"Akihiko! Nanase-chan! Finally, I can sense you again… are you two okay?!" Fuuka asked in a panic.

"We're worn out… we walked right into a trap laid by the Target Shadow." Akihiko replied.

"It doesn't look like it'll trigger a second time though." Megumi added.

"Then you should rest for tonight. It's already 1am anyway." Fuuka suggested.

Once they got outside, Aigis was fully repaired. Aigis asked why they were covered in sweat, and was kindly told that they had to play with a dog. Aigis claimed to be envious, although she likely wouldn't think that anymore if she dealt with the Shadow they fought. Megumi felt so tired she wound up oversleeping for school by two hours. To her shock, the school didn't seem to care as much for Yoshino's disappearance. So she decided that she was going to visit her household, and maybe get some answers on what might be Yoshino's hidden darkness.

When she got to the house and rang the doorbell, a young woman with long black hair confined to a motorized wheel chair opened the door. She looked like an older Yoshino surprisingly.

"Yes?" she asked.

"I'm Yoshino's friend from school." Megumi introduced herself.

"She isn't home." she told her.

"I know. I wanted to know if you could tell me a bit more about her past that might help with the search." Megumi explained.

"I've already told the cops everything about her preferences and where she frequents." the woman sighed.

"I want to go in-depth… things she might… regret? That make her act unlike herself?" Megumi asked, and the woman squinted her eyes.

"Did Kirijo-san send you?" she asked.

"No. I'm here of my own accord." Megumi replied.

"Come in…" she sighed moving back inside.

Megumi took her shoes off, closed the door, and followed her in to the living room. She told her to sit while she got refreshments from the fridge. Once she handed her a soda can, she let out a heavy sigh.

"My name is Haruka Mura. Before you ask, no, I'm not her mom. I'm her older sister. She's technically staying here in secret from our parents." she began.

"Why in secret?" Megumi asked.

"Our parents… don't like us being near each other. Naturally, I wasn't always a cripple like this. Both Yoshino and I love wrestling… we'd sit down and watch it together in the evening after school while doing our homework, and even went to live shows with mom and dad from time to time. Like kids, we'd always wrestle each other, trying out the moves we saw on TV or at shows on each other after moving the furniture out of the way. Once, I accidentally broke her arm, another she broke my leg… and we just kept getting hurt, making our parents wonder about how we felt about each other." Haruka sighed in response.

"Something happened?" Megumi asked.

"One summer day… Yoshino and I decided we'd have a ten-minute iron girl match on the trampoline in the back yard to decide who gets the last ice pop in the freezer. Naturally because I'd had one earlier that day leaving the ice pop in question in there I intended to lose, but only by one point so she wouldn't think I let her win. Well, we didn't know at the time, but the net around the trampoline was coming loose. We'd jury rigged them to be makeshift ropes. She dropkicked me so I decided I'd let that be the end and went back into them so she could land a finisher… I pulled on the net… it came loose… I fell off… and my lower spine landed on a rock paralyzing me from the hips down from that day onward." Haruka told her.

"So your parents blamed her…?" Megumi theorized.

"They kept telling her horrible things… 'it should have been you', 'you were stupid for doing that to her', 'you're the reason this happened'. She grew up through middle school blaming herself, believing that lack of training was why what happened to me happened. So she convinced herself that if she got the proper training and learned how to safely perform the moves she could make it right. When I moved out, they forbid her from ever coming to see me. I moved to Tatsumi Port Island in secret when Yoshino said she wanted to stay with me while she was in school. As far as our parents know, she's staying in the school dormitory." Haruka explained.

"So… she still blames herself after all this time." Megumi inferred.

"The idiot tried to paralyze herself once, claiming it was only fair. Luckily I'm an excellent shot with a boot and downed her before she could do it. I'm crippled, and will never wrestle again. It's a fact I've learned to live with. Yoshino still shakes when I make her hug me or help me bathe. It's like she's afraid to touch me." Haruka told her.

"Real quick… can I… see a picture of you as a kid?" Megumi asked.

"Odd question. There on the mantle." she pointed, and there was a picture of Haruka as a little kid with Yoshino… and she looked exactly like the little girl she saw in the stadium!

"Thank you for your time. I think I'll be able to use that information." Megumi told her while bowing.

"I know you're working with Kirijo-san… I didn't want to open up to a stranger… you're Yoshino's friend… if you can save her… bring her home… please… do it… I would never forgive myself if she was lost on my watch." Haruka pleaded.

At night, the Blood Moon had returned once again. Fuuka, Aigis, and the male student met up with her. This time he looked marginally more composed than the first time she'd met him.

"You two weren't formally introduced last time, so before we go in… this is Tadase Nakamura, third year." Aigis introduced him, and he simply bowed.

"He awoke to his Persona the other night, so he won't be dead weight on tonight's excursion, hopefully." Akihiko smiled patting Tadase's shoulder.

"I helped him polish his swordsmanship. I can attest to his skill." Aigis smiled.

"We're burning moonlight. Let's go." Tadase suggested, and to the third floor they went.

On the fourth floor Megumi got to see Tadase in action. He was fast and made easy use of his Persona, Minotaur, to unleash physical punishment on enemies. She also discovered quickly that he has a weakness to Bufu. Izanami was strong to it, so she was able to work in tandem so both remain standing since Minotaur nullifies Zio attacks. Fuuka praised their teamwork numerous times. Soon they were on the seventh floor, and the ring sprung up trapping only Megumi leaving the others outside the ring as a cage slammed down keeping her inside.

"S-Shadows are swarming toward your position!" Fuuka warned them.

"Just perfect…" Akihiko growled nervously readying for battle.

"Tonight's matchup is a singles match…" the little girls' voice spoke as she materialized in the center of the ring with her microphone.

"You… you're a young Haruka before she got paralyzed, aren't you?" Megumi asked.

"Shut up! I'm introducing the competitors! In the _rudely interrupting_ corner, one of the intruders…" she growled and boos raged from thin air.

"Was she like this the first time?" Tadase asked.

"Both of us were trapped in there that time…" Akihiko replied.

"In the other corner… she just doesn't care anymore, Yoshino Mura!" she spoke as a spotlight shone on Yoshino, who was wearing a skin-tight black leotard with knee-high white boots and matching elbow and knee pads.

"Sis… stop… I don't want this…" Yoshino whined holding her head.

"This match is extreme rules… so weapons are allowed…" she grinned.

"I said no! Just punish me! Beat me up! Tear my eyes out! I don't want to wrestle anymore!" Yoshino screamed crying as she held her head.

"What? You said just a minute ago that you wanted to wrestle… you're pathetic… no wonder you were blamed…" her Shadow taunted.

"Leave her alone!" Megumi shouted swinging her spear at her, only to miss when she vanishes.

Yoshino vanished as well as the cage lifted to show the others fighting a hard battle outside the ring. She quickly hurried to help them clear out the enemy so they could tend to their injuries. After a quick rest they made their way up to the ninth floor where the lights went out.

"What now?" Akihiko asked.

"Tonight we have a very special event… one the likes you've never seen folks! A four-on-one matchup! The loser has to give their body up as a prize to the winning side! Can you believe the insanity?! We're taking all four intruders on at the same time! Don't miss your que to come on down to the ring, dirty intruders, heheh…" the Shadow taunted.

"Does she think this is one big wrestling tournament?" Aigis asked.

"Well, everyone but Kirijo-san would be disqualified for using bladed weaponry if this were an actual tournament." Tadase sighed.

"Let's go. From the sound of it we've only got one more floor to go until we're at the top." Akihiko ordered.

They carefully made their way to the stairs. What they found at the top looked like a dressing room. Megumi tried to open the door forward, but it stayed fast. Akihiko even tried ramming it only succeeding in hurting his shoulder. Tadase then gave it a crack only achieving the same result. Megumi and Aigis began pondering ways to get it open as the men continued bringing out objects to try and break it open including chairs, bats, a cannon, and a battering ram… but to no avail.

"What are you doing? You aren't wearing those gaudy clothes in MY ring. Change into something more appropriate. The men change on the left, the women change on the right." the Shadow ordered.

"Should we do it…?" Tadase asked.

"I don't think we're getting inside unless we do, and I'd rather not see how long it takes the Blood Moon to kill someone." Akihiko replied with a sigh.

So they began to change, despite being unhappy with the idea. Akihiko went with simple white boots with black tights. Tadase went with black sneakers and cut-off blue jeans with an armband. Megumi changed into knee-length black boots, a hot pink bottom with a short skirt attached, a matching bra top, and a heart choker. Aigis asked her what she should change into, so Megumi simply put a prop "champion" belt around her waist which seemed to make her happy enough. On three they pulled back their curtains to see their outfits. Tadase clearly stood out among them, but he refused to change in the interest of time.

"Be careful in there, you four… the Shadow is waiting for you…" Fuuka warned as they went through the door.

They came out onto a ramp leading down to a ring where Yoshino was on her knees with the Shadow standing beside her. They hurried down and got in. Shadow Haruka was wearing a sadistic grin.

"Heheheheheh… your opponents are here, Yoshino… get ready, or you'll lose on the spot… you wanted this penance remember?" Shadow Haruka taunted.

"I… I…" Yoshino stammered appearing mentally broken.

"Yoshino's mental state is deteriorating at an alarming rate, you have to do something!" Fuuka alerted them.

"Is her Shadow's doing?" Aigis asked.

"Mura-chan, you have to snap out of it! Your sister doesn't blame you, so why should you?!" Megumi scolded her.

"S-Sister… hates me… c-caused… it…" Yoshino stammered barely cohesively.

"No you didn't! She leaned back on the net on purpose, she wanted you to win! The net came loose causing her to fall, not you!" Megumi told her.

"How does she know that?" Tadase asked confused.

"S-Sis… hates… don't deserve… forgiveness…" Yoshino grunted.

"Mura-chan, listen to yourself! I heard it right from her mouth! She doesn't blame anyone! It was an accident!" Megumi scolded her.

"N-No… I… could have… grabbed her… didn't need to… dropkick her…" Yoshino groaned holding her head as she began to stand up.

"Her mental state is improving… keep it up!" Fuuka told Megumi.

"Mura-chan… Yoshino… you need to accept it, it wasn't your fault. No one was to blame. Things like that happen sometimes, okay?" Megumi spoke taking a step toward her.

"No… you're wrong… you're wrong… I'm to blame… I could have grabbed her arm, I was right there… I'M TO BLAME! I SHOULD JUST DIE!" Yoshino screamed.

"Is that really how you feel…?" Shadow Haruka asked with a dead serious expression.

"YES! I'LL DIE FOR MY CRIME! SHE'LL FORGIVE ME IF I REPENT WITH MY LIFE!" Yoshino spoke hysterically, and then Shadow Haruka grabbed onto her causing a mass of black and red particles to begin swirling around swallowing them.

"T-This pressure…" Aigis spoke marveling at the mass.

"This is more intense than any other Shadow we've met…" Akihiko groaned trying to stay on his feet.

The mass soon took shape with a blue and black color scheme. The resulting Shadow was three bodies in one. The bottom was a woman with short blue hair, black skin with a blue leotard on her, and pained eyes as she posed exorcist style. Balanced perfectly on her stomach was another woman with long black hair, blue skin with a black leotard on her, and a laughing face as she stared at them. Wrapped around their waist while extending off at the left side was a black and white entity, likely representing a referee, with a face resembling The Scream painting. The sight was a nightmare for them to behold as it took up half of the ring due to its immense size.

"I am a Shadow… the guilt inside you forged by your actions, and trapped inside your heart by hatred… I am judge, jury, and executioner in one… you plead guilty to a crime you haven't committed, and have asked for execution… so it shall be…" Shadow Haruka spoke somberly.

"W-What tremendous power!" Fuuka gasped.

The battle began and the team had no choice but to play evade as her upper body swung her hands at them while the referee cast both Agi and Bufu. She staggered back when Tadase got a Bash in with Minotaur, followed by a Skewer from Aigis and Athena, then a Cleave from Megumi and Izanami, and finally a Ziodyne from Akihiko and Caesar downing the Shadow. While downed, the referee entity comically counted to 3 continuously as the top body pinned the bottom.

"Now's your chance for an All Out Attack!" Fuuka told them, and they rushed in landing several attacks on Shadow Haruka causing her to regain her senses while causing major damage.

"You object to my ruling…? Unacceptable!" Shadow Haruka howled slamming her bottom body's arms on the mat causing shockwaves to knock the team on their hind ends.

She became faster this second time. The referee began launching out Zio and Garu while the top torso swung her arms simultaneously casting Agi. The bottom torso would occasionally scream letting out a Bufu. Before the team knew it, they were really in for it. She was just too strong, being able to cast all elements. Akihiko was tired out from constantly healing them as well. This was indeed a powerful foe. At that moment, Megumi began to hear a voice inside herself.

"I am Thou… Thou art I… Your Heart is True… Awaken Thine Power…" the voice spoke, and Megumi found the strength to stand putting her Evoker to her head.

"Persona… Principality!" Megumi shouted pulling the trigger calling forth the Persona.

A bright light shined over the party healing their wounds enough that they could stand, and then Principality cast Hama on Shadow Haruka. The attack made her scream in pain flipping over so the blue body was on top and the ref counted to three once and began signaling a bell. The Shadow still flailed though, and the others saw the opportunity to strike causing the Shadow to explode into the particles separating from Yoshino.

Yoshino began to get up as Megumi limped over to her. Yoshino was crying, and looked extremely upset.

"I… I'm to blame…" Yoshino cried.

"No you aren't. You might feel bad, and are hanging onto that feeling of regret, but you have to let go. She came back to haunt you because you didn't accept the reality that it was a mistake." Megumi told her.

"You're wrong… y-you're wrong…" Yoshino cried weakly punching her chest doing no damage at all.

Megumi sighed as Yoshino continued to punch her until she caught decided to catch her fists. She then laid Yoshino down cross-body pinning her to the mat. She struggled, but didn't have anywhere near the strength needed to get her off of her.

"You have to accept it, Yoshino. If you don't, she'll continue to hurt, and the wound won't close. She wants the pain to stop. Do you want to keep hurting her? To keep causing her pain, is that it?" Megumi scolded her.

"I'm… causing her pain…?" Yoshino asked through her sniffles.

"Yes. She's in tons of pain because you refuse to let go. It doesn't have to be all at once… but you should at least try to get past it. There's a time to accept guilt where it's due… but there's also a time to let go of guilt that isn't yours to bear." Megumi told her, and Yoshino began crying more.

"Sis… w-why didn't… I can't… I-I'll try… sis… I'll try…" Yoshino sobbed as Shadow Haruka kneeled by her and began stroking Yoshino's bangs.

"The hardest part is starting…" Shadow Haruka spoke softly, and then she faded away as a bright blue light began to shine around them.

In the air above them a woman wearing robes with a hood hiding her face wielding a saintly bow riding a horse appeared. She gave off a sort of serenity. They could tell… she was a Persona.

"I am Thou… Thou Art I… Thou hast gained the strength to stand and walk unburdened by the Past… I am the Persona 'Artemis', and I shall always be by your side to walk this arduous path with you." the Persona spoke before vanishing inside of Yoshino, who'd passed out under Megumi.

She carried Yoshino out and the stadium vanished behind them leaving a crate with their actual clothing behind. Fuuka rushed to them overjoyed as the Blood Moon's light faded. Megumi collected her clothes and belongings from the crate and personally carried Yoshino home. Her sister was in tears to see her returned safely, although she did question their outfits after calming down a bit. Megumi obviously lied, telling her she'd tried to run away via a traveling wrestling circuit, so she was forced to dress up and enter in a free match to make her come home. Haruka knew it was bullshit, being the wrestling fan she is, but took it anyway because Yoshino was home safe and sound and that was what mattered.

When Megumi returned home she was in horror to find it was 3:23am. She quickly hid her newly acquired attire in her closet, got into pajamas, and got in bed to catch what little sleep she could before her alarm could go off in a few hours. That day was very rough for her even with Miku there trying to cheer her up.

[SOCIAL LINK EVENT: MIKU]

After school Miku dragged Megumi with her into town. They went to a shop that sold old antiques. Miku looked at all the different objects, looking a bit frustrated. Megumi finally asked if she was looking for something in particular.

"My dad's birthday is next week, so I want to get him a present early on the off chance I end up sick during that time. He really likes old feudal era stuff, but I'm not finding anything…" Miku told her.

[HELP HER FIND SOMETHING]

[TELL HER IT DOESN'T MATTER]

Megumi decided on the obvious choice, and helped her look. Near the front of the shop they found a scroll supposedly from the feudal era with a detailed record of a battle on it. They were able to get it cheaply as well since a sale happened to be going on. On the way home Miku asked to stop at the vending machines in the local park.

"Thank you for going with me, Nanase-chan. I don't think I'd have had the courage to go there without you with me." Miku smiled while opening her soda.

"Why?" Megumi asked.

"Well… if something had happened I'm sure they'd have had to call my dad, and the surprise would have been spoiled. The past five years dad's had to spend his birthday caring for me without even a cake to celebrate with. I want this year to be different. I feel like when I'm around you, I get healthier… like I don't have to worry about spontaneously getting sick." Miku smiled, and it made Megumi's heart feel warm.

[SOCIAL LINK RANK UP: 1 - 2]

Megumi walked her home before going home herself. Aigis was waiting at the gate to her house. She approached her and Aigis smiled.

"Good afternoon, Nanase-chan. Mitsuru has asked me to deliver a message." Aigis greeted her.

"A message?" Megumi asked.

"Yes. Once Mura-chan recovers, you'll be forming a team with Nakamura-kun and her. I shall also be aiding you." Aigis told her.

"What about Mr. Kirijo-san?" Megumi asked.

"He has a more important duty to attend to right now. Mitsuru will be unable to support us as we search out Target Shadows as well." Aigis replied.

That night, Megumi woke up in the middle of the night to jump seeing the man from the train standing there. She pressed up against the wall shaking a bit as he grinned at her.

"Don't be afraid. It's me, your friend." he spoke.

"How did you get into my room?" Megumi asked.

"Well, I can go anywhere I like really… being Death Incarnate has its perks." he chuckled.

"Who are you?" Megumi asked nervously.

"Death Incarnate… but you can call me Ryoji if you want." he introduced himself.

"So… you're literally Death…?" Megumi asked.

"In a manner of speaking. We've known each other a while… since you killed your dad, actually." Ryoji chuckled.

"Why are you haunting me?" Megumi demanded to know.

"I'm not haunting you. You just remind me of a friend of mine. You see… there are some people that need to die, just like your dad… but I'm not allowed to interfere in normal circumstances." Ryoji explained.

"I'm not killing people for you…" Megumi growled.

"Oh trust me… when you meet them, they'll be just as raring to kill you…" Ryoji chuckled before vanishing into the darkness.

End Chapter 2 


End file.
